Football friends, Gophers team rally around Cosgrove family

Gophers WR home after chemotherapy

Defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove, left, and his son Connor, a freshman wide receiver, pose for a photo at Gopher media day at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., on August 12, 2010.
(Pioneer Press: Ben Garvin)

Kevin Cosgrove was relieved when his son, Connor, came home from the hospital Monday night after going through extensive chemotherapy to treat his recently diagnosed leukemia.

Cosgrove, the University of Minnesota co-defensive coordinator, knows the fight is far from over for Connor, a sophomore receiver for the Gophers. It's expected to be a two-year process of weekly treatments.

"They wouldn't have let him go if it wasn't the right time," Cosgrove said after Tuesday's practice. "Once a week he'll be back in the hospital. But as long as everything goes well, he'll be back (home) the same day."

The Cosgrove family and the Gophers have received e-mails, letters, phone calls and other support from all over the country since Connor's condition was made public a week ago. The elder Cosgrove and his wife, Michelle, have heard from both programs where he worked as a defensive coordinator, the University of Wisconsin and Nebraska. Cosgrove said even players he coached as an assistant at the University of Illinois in the 1980s have contacted him.

"It's unbelievable," he said. "It's kind of overwhelming."

After the Gophers' 32-21 loss to Southern California on Saturday, Cosgrove was back at Minnesota's football offices Sunday meeting with the team to prepare a game plan for Northern Illinois.

He gets plenty of support from his players.

"We're trying to really take care of him and help him through this, as well as Connor," sophomore linebacker Mike Rallis said. "We go out there and have him in our mind when we're playing.

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The elder Cosgrove never stops thinking about his family but said his son's strength helps him concentrate on coaching.

"He's been real positive," Cosgrove said of his son. "It makes me feel good. He has a great attitude, and he's going to need that. When you watch him and what he's gone through this last week, there's no reason to feel sorry for anybody. He's the ultimate competitor."

Gophers coach Tim Brewster recalled Cosgrove receiving a call from Connor on the Friday night before the South Dakota game when the coaching staff was staying in a hotel.

"He said, 'Dad, I haven't been feeling really good. For whatever reason, I've been sweating at night,' " Brewster said about Cosgrove's conversation with his son. "That kind of threw an alarm up."

Brewster said team trainer Ed Lochrie suggested that Connor undergo a blood test. Those results revealed a low white blood cell count. He soon was diagnosed with an acute form of leukemia and began aggressive treatment.

"I went over to the hospital (Monday) to see Connor again," Brewster said. "You know, it's truly amazing the human spirit and how people that don't even know the Cosgroves from all over America, are sending him their best wishes. It's really special."

Brewster, who also watched his team suffer emotionally after senior fullback Jon Hoese's father, Terry, died a couple weeks ago from complications of a stroke, said he hoped his players could focus on football this week.

"We're going to help push (Connor) through," Brewster said. "But we're trying to limit the distractions that we've had the best we can and go out and win a football game, and have some fun doing it."